What Was The Purpose Of The Gettysburg Address

Seven score and nine years ago, Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth President of the United States of America, set off for Gettysburg in order to consecrate Gettysburg National Cemetery. In an uncharacteristically short speech-at least for the 1860s-Lincoln was able to reaffirm the values our Founding Fathers had laid down in the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution, and painted a vision of a unified United States where freedom and democracy would be the rule for all citizens. Lincoln utilized various rhetorical devices to make the Gettysburg Address accomplish two tasks in one. The first is to bring remembrance to the principals and morals for which the United States was built upon, second is to honor the brave soldiers who fought and died at Gettysburg and consecrate the land upon which they stood and finally was to sway those attending into giving their “…last full measure of devotion-” to ensure a nation that would remain built upon the concepts of liberty and democracy and continues to gain support for the cause of the war.. Seeking only to honor the dead and inspire the living, Lincoln ended up delivering one of the most powerful speeches in American-if not world-history.

The historian David Blight says that Lincoln’s message in the Gettysburg Address was to help the people recover from the deficit from the Battle of Gettysburg and the casualties that were caused by it. Lincoln simply wants to rebuild the country.

To begin with, if people want to really understand the principles and values of “The Gettysburg Address” they should take into consideration the rhetorical situation. The rhetorical situation is composed of the following: ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos. These are known as the character of the speaker, which is ethos, the attention of the message, logos, the values and beliefs of the audience, pathos, and the time of the of which this work was written, kairos (Ramage). The ethos of “The Gettysburg Address” is clearly in front of us. Meaning that the character of Abraham Lincoln was what and is still being taken into consideration when we look at the ethos of “The Gettysburg Address”. At the time of war, some would not dare to question the authority and credibility of President Lincoln

Today, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered one of the most important battles of the American Civil War. However, with 23,049 casualties on the Union side and 28,063 on the Confederate side, it can also be considered one of the bloodiest (Civil War Trust). Such heavy losses naturally rattled the entire nation and Americans on both sides began to question the war and what it stood for. As Americans gathered together at the consecration ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the much acclaimed orator and politician Edward Everett delivered what was meant to be the Gettysburg Address. Yet, today, it is not Edward Everett’s Gettysburg Address that the world remembers, but Abraham Lincoln’s, who was invited to the ceremony almost as an afterthought. Lincoln’s 272 words helped remake America by giving hope to its citizens at a time when they were at their lowest.

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place indicates that on November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln went to a battle field positioned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where three dreadful days of battle occurred called the Battle of Gettysburg. While he was attending the battle field to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the public. After the main orator, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered his speech that lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln’s turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech talked about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: that it is only fair to honor them

That was the reason for the visit to Gettysburg. It was a trip with Edward Everett to dedicate a newly created cemetery that was must needed in the country at the time due to all the fallen during the war. President Lincoln followed Mr. Everett’s two hour speech with his two minute speech which was decided in nature to sum up what Mr. Everett just talked about. A key thing to remember in the Gettysburg address was the importance not to forget about the fallen young Soldier’s on the battle field. This is mentioned in the in the second sentence of the second paragraph “ We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live”. What the President is talking about is the importance of not just remembering the fallen but also reminding the audience of why they died. They died believing in a cause; weather it’s about uniting the country or making two separate

In the third paragraph, President Lincoln stresses the important point that the words of his speech cannot actually bless or make holy the Battlefield of Gettysburg. Rather, he indicates the bravery of the men, both living and dead, has already made the ground of the battlefield sacred. Again, Lincoln is honoring the actions of all the soldiers, Union and Confederate, and trying to unite the nation instead of dividing it.

In his speech, President Lincoln utilizes pathos when speaking of the demise of all those soldiers and people, in order to induce our emotions. Reminding us of those ideals on which our country was founded, that all men are created equal despite the color of their skin. He demonstrates the use of logos when he mentions that all it would be a waste of lives and resources if they dismiss the main reason for their sacrifice. They gave their lives in order to provide our freedom, and that should never be taken for granted.

Abraham Lincolns stated purpose was to deliver a “few remarks” during the Gettysburg Address speech. It was considered to be of little significance, but in time, it has proven to be one of the best speeches in history. Lincoln's speech has influenced an immense amount of citizens worldwide, gave universal satisfaction, and given a purpose to fallen soldiers.

Repetition is the final key rhetorical device in the address. Two examples of repetition are in the opening statement of the Gettysburg Address which set the repetitious nature of the whole speech. Common expression, such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” is used to tie the entire address together, but this set of repletion is outweighed by the other. The word “dedicated” has been used in the speech to not only tie the entire speech together but to also appeal to pathos, an emotional appeal. The words “I” and “you” are absent from the speech, instead Lincoln uses words such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” to include the people of the Union and the Confederacy to unite both parties as a whole under the one

The Gettysburg address was not so much focused on an issue or debate. When Lincoln started writing this speech, its intention was to be in memory, devotion and honor to those who died, and also to declare the ground as a cemetery. He says “We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might

Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the United States greatest presidents and is well-known for writing one of the most iconic literary pieces in American history, the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is an outstanding 272-word oration, meant to have been a “few appropriate remarks” (Wills), yet it is considered to be one of the greatest speeches ever written, and rightly so. However, Lincoln was not the only one that gave a Gettysburg Address at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, nor was he “the star of the show” (Emberton). Today, many have forgotten the name of Edward Everett and the importance and value of his Gettysburg Address. Edward Everett was chosen as the main speaker at the ceremony and gave a 2-hour oration, preceding Lincoln’s 2-minute dedicatory remarks, that was highly praised among critics and the audience. Everett’s qualifications, his message within his speech, and his overall purpose have greatly contributed to the value of his Gettysburg Address. Today, it is clear to see that Lincoln’s Address has overshadowed Everett’s Address, but that wasn’t the case in 1863. The question left to answer, should Everett’s Gettysburg Address be considered just as valuable and praiseworthy as Lincoln’s speech?

President Abraham Lincoln used allusions help connect to the ideas and emotions of the crowd in the “Gettysburg Address”. Given that the quote, "Four score

Author Abraham Lincoln in his speech “The Gettysburg Address” proposes that the living need to finish the task that the founding fathers stated and the soldiers continued. The author develops this idea by first reminding the people of what the founding fathers did, then he talked about how the soldiers continued what the founding fathers started, and finally he informed the people about what they need to do to finish the task. The author’s purpose is to inspire the living to compare the task that the dead died trying to finish in order to ensure the idea that all men are created equal is not only preached but practiced as well. The author establishes an urgent tone for people who went to see the nation reunite and prosper.

On November 19th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. This speech originally was not to the core focus for the dedication of the military cemetery at Gettysburg; however, this speech eventually became one of the most famous speeches in the history of America (Net). In this speech, Lincoln, if you will, changed the meaning of portions of the Declaration of Independence and the intentions of our Founding Fathers. He illustrated the significance of the war and the abolishment of slavery.